Grito De Fogo
by OMFG-Roach
Summary: After traveling to Sao Paulo to visit his uncle, Zach Emberson Zuko is introduced to the world of capoeira, where fighting is more like dancing. Of course, there is one thing wrong with this picture...AU ZUTARA!
1. Chapter 1

**GRITO DE FOGO**

By OMFG-Roach

A/N: Well, here I am with another 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' fan fiction. The title, if you're curious, is Portuguese for 'Cry of Fire' (the literal translation). Now, since I don't believe in spoiling things for you, I'll just be a tease and give you a few hints:

The setting is in Brazil.

This is an AU fic set in modern times.

The names are as follows (with ages) :

ZUKO: Zach Emberson (23)

KATARA: Katrina Aquãl (22)

SOKKA: Saul Aquãl (24)

AANG: Antonio Vento (21)

TOPH: Tina Terraflor (21)

IROH: Isaac Emberson (65)

And more as the story goes on.

Now with that over with, I just need to do one more thing…

**O NOEZ TEH DISCLAIMER! **(Run for life!) : I don't own anything but the story line (and yet I shall be the one to slay Bryke, the Twin-Head Demon!).

--

CHAPTER ONE: 'DESEMBARQUE DO INCÊNDO AVES'

I yawned. Flying to São Paulo Airport straight from Baltimore wasn't what I expected, much less preferred.

Of course, I'm never one to complain, anyway. By the time I got to São Paulo, all I wanted to do was go to the hotel and hit the sack. I was that tired. I made a mental note to drink some more coffee to shake it off after I disembarked the plane.

I checked my watch. It was still set to Eastern Standard Time, so I was off.

The time I left Baltimore was around 1430 (2:30 PM).

The time I got to São Paulo? Looking at one of the local clocks I found at the airport, 1930 (7:30 PM). And that's _local_ time. To me, it felt like it was much later. (And that, kids, is what jet-lag does to you.)

The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel left me a good look at all the buildings of a foreign city whiz by in a blur of lights, sounds, and colors. It was amazing at how fast we were going on the inside, but to onlookers on the outside, it seemed as if we were causally rolling along.

The cab driver looked back occasionally, so I got a good look at his face. He had the usual, run-of-the-mill-Brazilian taxi driver-thing going on: Grey golf cap, yellow shirt, brown sport coat, khakis, black loafers, black mustache, big nose, small mouth, big chin, tan skin, ears-close-to-head. He kinda looked like the cab drivers I've seen in Baltimore. I remember wondering if he and the cabbies in Baltimore were a part of some alien race, because they all looked the same to me. Were they plotting to take over Earth? God, I hoped not. Because if they were, then I was royally screwed along with the rest of the human population.

When the cab got to the hotel, I was tired (like I said), but I was awake enough to at least be aware of what was going on.

Aware enough to know that I didn't know a single word in Portuguese to save my life. This came into play when it came time to pay the cab driver. As I grabbed some (US) money from my wallet to pay the man, he kept pushing my hand away, saying, "_Essa não é a quantidade direita_," ('That is not the right amount') or something like that. All I heard was complete and utter gibberish.

So I figured he wanted more cash, so I grabbed more money. Then it dawned on me.

_I have the wrong money! Stupid, Zach, stupid!_

Just as I realized this, the cab driver noticed, "_Você parece como um americano. Eu vou fazer o passeio livre_," ('You seem like an American. I'll make the ride free') and unpacked my stuff. To me, it sounded like more gibberish and more headaches. I was tired, I wanted to sleep, and I wanted to have a beer or two. A nice, cold beer…

I failed to notice the cab driver was getting back in the cab, but that didn't dawn on me until _after_ he started the engine. Then I realized I still hadn't paid him, but by the time I ran up to the cab, he had already pulled out.

_Great. I'm stuck in the middle of Brazil's largest city with no idea who's saying what, no money other than US, and jet-lag. Joy. Now, where to find a good beer…bah. I'll go beer-hunting later. I need some Z's._

When I checked in to the hotel and checked in at the front desk, I was surprised to hear the cleric speak English.

She was young, tan, and had black hair like the thousands of Brazilians I've seen so far (I swear, there must be some virus lurking about Brazil that changes everyone's hair color to black…but I think it's only the locals who are affected). She had a cute-looking nose (which I failed to notice yet again due to jet-lag), a nice looking body (_Dear God…I think I want to thank you for everything good in my life as of now. Amen._), and her hair stopped at her shoulders. She was wearing one of those run-of-the-mill hotel cleric outfits with the white button-down shirt, long black skirt, black vest, and black heels. Her nametag read "Avila." It sounded classy, but I didn't care to notice in my jet-lag.

"Are you…Mr. Emberson?" she asked, her Latino accent apparent. She seemed to be unsure whether or not I was me. She smiled, nervous.

_She must be a rookie. I'll make it easy for her. _

"Yeah…" I confirmed, yawning. Man, I was zonked…

"Your room is 215 on the second floor," she told me, handing me the key to my room. Her voice didn't sound so insecure; in fact, I think it sounded like Latino honey.

I thanked her and heading to the elevator, dragging the roll-along suitcases I had. I tapped the button to the second floor.

As the elevator music played softly, I remember thinking about how my uncle, Isaac, would react to my visit. I mean, he was a nice guy (given that he had his tea), but I was really concerned about how he would react to my stay here in Brazil.

Or at least São Paulo, anyway.

--

A/N: Thoughts? I'll add more in the second chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

GRITO DE FOGO

A/N: O.0 O.M.F.G! I did not expect instant reviews _the day_ I post the story! Man, you guys must love me! XD Anyway, on to the usual stuff, such as…

**O NOEZ TEH DISCLAIMER! **(Run for life!) : I don't own anything expect the plot to the story (yet I shall slay the Twin-Head Demon that is Bryke! I promise it!).

CHAPTER TWO: 'ASCENSÃO E BRILHO, SONOLENTO CABEÇA!'

My alarm went off at 0525 (5:25 AM) BRST. Which meant that it went off, for me, at 0325 (3:25 AM) EST, which _totally_ screwed me up because my internal clock forgot to change time zones when I landed in São Paulo yesterday.

But some how I managed to at least open my eyes lift my head from my pillow. When I did, I immediately wanted to put my head back down since I still thought it was nighttime. I even managed to yawn a bit and stretch, but I was still zonked from the flight.

I groggily got out of my bed, groaning about something. About what, I'll never know, but I think it had to do with me finding some Brazilian chick and getting laid with her. (And that, kids, is why we adult males rarely fly outside our country's borders. We're fine with the girls here in the US, thank you very much.)

I trudged over to the bathroom and flicked on the light. After trying to shield my eyes from the sudden change in light, I decided to look in the mirror to see how bad of a bed-head I got.

A pale skinned, amber eyed, black-haired, 23 year-old man stared back at me. I touch the area around my left eye, where my scar was. I still winced at the feeling of the burned tissue brushing against my fingertips, but the initial pain I felt long ago when I got it had ebbed away.

I decided that once I got back home, I was going to see a plastic surgeon to get this taken care of. I was tired of having that scar stick around like a sticky piece of tape.

Anyway, I freshened up and got dressed after I unzipped my suitcase. I checked to see if I still had enough clean underwear to wear (my mom would _kill_ me if I didn't) and clean socks that didn't have big gapping holes in them (my mom was always picky about those, too). After confirming both, I got dressed in a black t-shirt, some green shorts, and flip-flops. (You may now assume that I _do_ have on clean underwear.)

I decided to go explore São Paulo to look around, visit all the monuments, maybe find a bar or two, and score a few Brazilian honeys (what can I say? I'm a guy, so cut me some slack already, will ya?).

So I locked my room and headed towards the elevator. Then I remembered that I left my wallet in my other pants last night, and I quickly rushed back to the room. Unlocking the door, I went inside and grabbed my wallet, stuffing it in my shorts' pocket. I locked my room again and headed back towards the elevator.

The hotel was very…tacky (at least on my floor). They had too many things that I saw in the US. They had floral-print carpet, striped paint jobs on the walls, white doors with gold number plates, the odd table with a vase, and to top it all off, they had vending machines filled with treats from the US (in fact, I went so far as to have believed that they smuggled the vending machines from hotels in Florida).

After I took the elevator down to the main floor, I was surprised to see someone was waiting for me.

Someone who was a girl, and said girl looked like a goddess. She was wearing a blue tube-top, denim jeans, cyan flip-flops, and a jean overcoat. She looked tan, young, and had black hair, as well as blue eyes and a hot looking-body for someone her age (which I think was 22 at the time, about a year younger than me, so she was still dateable without having me arrested for exploitation of a minor). Her hair was in a braided ponytail that stopped midway down her back.

_Hold the phone here…_blue_ eyes? That can't be right…I thought all the chicks here had brown or black eyes…something's up, I know it…maybe I can ask her later about those eyes of hers._

"_Finalmente, você está aqui!_" ('Finally, you are here!') She sighed happily, "_Eu estava preocupado que você não iria mostrar-se!_" ('I was worried you would not show up!')

I looked at her, confused. Apparently, beautiful as she was (and still is to this day, I swear to God on that), she didn't get the memo that I didn't understand a damn thing that was either written or spoken in Portuguese.

'Avila', thankfully, was on duty at the time (_God, does the woman ever think of the concept of SLEEPING?!_), and decided to translate for me.

"She says that she's happy you've showed up," she translated for me, her accent still there.

"And why was she waiting for me?" I asked, wanting to get to the point of the mystery girl's purpose of being here.

"God, I don't know. She just walked through the doors and asked if you were here. I said yes, and then she started asking to see you."

"Why was she asking to see me?"

"She kept saying something about '_Seu tio quer vê-lo primeira coisa hoje_', and I keep saying '_Por favor, deixem o cara gozar o seu descanso! Ele apenas nove horas arrancou um vôo, mulher!_', and then she's like-"

"I get the picture, sister. Just get to the point." I was already getting tired of her rendition of the events that happened while I slumbered (even though I missed one hellva cat-fight, I reckon).

"Well, I think that she wants to take you to your uncle…?"

"What the-?! Ask her about how she knows I have one." I was surprised to find out that this girl knew my uncle. But then again, my uncle _did_ have a lot of friends; I always thought those friends were old and crusty like him.

"_Como vocês sabem seu tio?_" ('How do you know his uncle?') Avila asked, repeating my question in Portuguese.

"_Ele minhas visitas escolares vez em quando_," ('He visits my school every now and then') the girl replied, answering the question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"She says your uncle visits her school every now and then," Avila translated, repeating what the girl had just said, but this time in English.

"Ok, so…what's her name?" I asked; finally ready to know what to call the girl.

"_Qual é seu nome?_" ('What is you name?') Avila asked, once again repeating my question in Portuguese.

"_Meu nome é_ _Katrina Aquãl_," ('My name is Katrina Aquãl.') the girl replied, introducing herself, "And I can speak pretty good English." Her accent was Latino, like Avila's, but it was more honey-like.

My eyes widened. I wasn't expecting my uncle's friend to switch tongues so fluently.

"Then why didn't you ask me, in English, mind you, who I was?" I asked, confused.

"Because I knew the minute you got off that elevator that you were who I was looking for," was the reply I got.

"Ok, whatever," I shake my head slightly, trying to dismiss the thought of thinking over her riddle, "What school do you go to?"

Katrina just smiled. The next word out of her mouth was the word I'd spend the rest of my life trying to master and later teach to my students back in the States:

"Capoeira."


	3. Chapter 3

GRITO DE FOGO

A/N: I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry…it's just that I've been through a writers block lately and…yeah. But thanks for the reviews! THE STORY HASN'T DIED, NOT JUST YET!

Plus, I'll add Lu Ten as Luther.

**O NOEZ TEH DISCLAIMER!** (Run for life!): I don't own anything but the plot. (But I shall slay Bryke, the Twin Headed Demon!)

CHAPTER THREE: 'OH, VOCÊ DEVE SER AMERICANO'

"Ok, run that by me again…" I was confused as Katrina and I walked past cars and buildings, conversing over what was going on.

"I told you, your uncle runs a capoeira school not too far from here. Just another few meters and we're there," Katrina replied, her voice still sounding like honey.

_God, she looks so fine! I wonder if she's interested in the long-distance relationship thing…_

My thoughts were mostly on her, but I was still somewhat thinking about my uncle. Why did he want to see me? Why did he leave Baltimore after Luther's death? Why?

Coming to my senses, I realized that Katrina had stopped in front of a dirty looking building, her face plastered with a smile.

Why she was smiling, I had no clue. I mean, the exterior of the building wasn't much to look at, since I could see some black streaks on the faded bricks. The door looked old and used, while the shades to the windows were crooked.

"We're here," Katrina stated simply.

"Where is here?" I asked, confused.

She rolled her eyes and pointed to a sign that was hanging over the door.

It read "_Casa do Dragão_" ('Home of the Dragon') in big, friendly, black letters.

"It's my capoeira school," Katrina informed me, "And your uncle teaches here from time to time."

"You said he _visited_ from time to time," I pointed out, recalling an earlier statement she made.

"Well…that's what he does when he visits."

"How do you know him again…?"

"I told you, he visits from time to time and teaches here."

"Whatever…just show me inside…"

She smiled even broader as she gripped the doorknob, turning it as she opened the door.

Strangely enough, there were lots people inside doing…something. The floors and walls were covered in mats, with some pictures hanging from the empty wall spaces.

The people stopped and looked at Katrina and me oddly. I couldn't help but feel like I had violated some sacred area, a shrine of some sort.

Suddenly, there was a petite looking woman who bounded, or should I say _waddled_, over to us, a smile plastered on her face.

The woman was petite, that was a given (I'd say around 4'6"), but her stomach was rounded, indicating that she was with child, and the little dude was coming soon, _very_ soon. Her eyes were a sparkling emerald color, and her hair was jet black, reaching all the way down to about midway of her spine. She was wearing a green t-shirt that was stretched out because of her big belly, and her denim jeans also were stretched. Her overall figure was lanky, but she looked surprisingly strong for someone her age (I'd say 21). She was slightly tanned, but it didn't hide the fact that her eyes looked Asian. She didn't wear any shoes, but her socks were a dirty white color, indicating that she had worn them up to this certain point in the day.

_This place keeps getting weirder and weirder…first, Li'l Miss Blue –eyed Latino honey, now an Asian pregnant woman? When will insanity end?! _

"_Hey, Tina, o que está acontecendo?_" ('Hey Tina, what's up?') Katrina asked the woman, addressing her like a friend.

"_Nada muito, mas Antonio Júnior é devido em breve!_" ('Nothing much, but Antonio Junior is due soon!') The woman replied, happily drumming a few fingers on her mammoth stomach.

I was lost yet again due to my lack of speaking Portuguese. I caught a name for the woman, but little else.

"_Por quanto tempo?_" ('How much longer?') Katrina asked, apparently eager _and_ forgetting my presence.

"_Outra ... duas, três semanas, talvez. Isso é o que disse o médico, mesmo assim..._" ('Another…two, three weeks, maybe. That's what the doctor said, anyway…') 'Tina' replied, placing a finger on her chin as she stared up at the ceiling in thought.

"_A minha suposição é que Antonio está mais que pronto, certo?_" ('My guess is that Antonio is more than ready, right?') Katrina joked, giggling slightly.

_Then_ she noticed me.

"_Tina, este é Zach Emberson, o sobrinho do Mestre Isaac,_" ('Tina, this is Zach Emberson, the nephew of Master Isaac.') Katrina introduced me to her friend, waving a hand in my direction.

Tina's eyes widened. "_Estás a brincar! _Ele_ é sobrinho do Mestre Isaac?!_" ('You're kidding! _He_ is the nephew of Master Isaac?!') She gasped, point a finger at me in an awed manner.

"Uh…did I do something wrong…?" I asked Katrina, very nervous all of this sudden.

"No, no," She reassured me, "Tina's just surprised, that's all."

"Oh my god!" Tina gasped in English, "You _are Mestre_ Isaac's nephew!"

_And you just found out? Give the girl a lollipop. _

"Uh…yeah? I mean, he _is_ my uncle…" I trailed off, confirming her guess.

"Omigod! Katrina, why haven't you told anyone else yet?!" Tina gasped even more, showing that she was like a school girl.

"Well…" Katrina trailed off, trying to think, "I just didn't find the need to, because—"

She was cut off by a voice shouting "_Tina! Onde estão os que você, querido?_"

Sighing angrily, Tina shouted back, cupping a hand over her mouth and turning to where the voice was, "_Eu estou falando com o Katrina e seu novo amigo, Antonio!_" ('I'm talking with Katrina and her new friend, Antonio!')

Turning back to Katrina and me, Tina rolled her eyes. "I don't know what I'll ever do with that man…"

Katrina giggled. "And I don't know what you'll do _without_ him!"

Yet again, I felt lost. Today was just really going well for me.


End file.
